Instant Pot Teriyaki Apricot Chicken

“MOM, chicken AGAIN????!!” How many times have I heard that? Ugh. I came up with this boneless chicken recipe to change things up a bit. It’s an easy one-pot meal that the whole family will love. Feel free to change up the fruit you use, I used the apricots because I happen to have a can of apricots that I didn’t know what to do with. I thought you could easily substitute pineapple or mandarin oranges, whatever YOU happen to have in your pantry!

*NOTE* The key to successfully making recipes in the Instant Pot without getting a BURN notice is to NOT STIR the ingredients that you are going to pressure cook. Carefully stack the ingredients on top of each other (even the sauce!) and you will not have a problem.

Ingredients

• Boneless chicken breasts (I used 6, but you can add or subtract from that) If you use thin breasts, they can be FROZEN!!
• 2 Cups White Rice with 2 Cups Water
• Medium sized Onion, diced
• 2 tsp Ginger
• 1 Tbsp Cumin
• 4 Tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• Can of Apricots (chunks)
• 3/4 Cup Teriyaki Sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s brand)
• 1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar
• 3 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

SLURRY INGREDIENTS

• 3 Tbsp Corn Starch
• 4 Tbsp Cold Water

1. Rinse rice well and put in instant pot with 2 Cups of water.
2. Using stacking technique, (see NOTE above), Add meat, spices, onion and apricots (fruit). DO NOT STIR.
3. Add Teriyaki Sauce. DO NOT STIR.
4. Cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes, with a 10 minute Natural Release.
5. Add Brown Sugar and Vinegar. Stir.
6. Change Instant Pot function to SAUTE.
7. Make Slurry: Combine Corn Starch and Water and whisk together.
8. Add Slurry to thicken while you carefully stir mixture and chicken.

Any questions? Did you make this recipe? Please leave feedback/comments below! I would love to hear from you! ENJOY!!!

Suzy

Supermarket Shortcuts!

Over the years I’ve been able to discover lots of different ways to change everyday grocery products into big ‘helpers’ in my kitchen. They save me time (and money!) and have made it possible for me to serve delicious meals to my family night after night. I’m sure this is a topic I will return to because I have so many items I use, I just take it for granted at this point. So for now I will start with a few, and update later. Some of them may seem obvious, or even things that you are already doing, but I want to list them here anyway, in case you haven’t thought of them!

JARRED SPAGHETTI SAUCE

OK. So you say, how can jarred sauces be economical? Yes, there are many sauces that are expensive, but if you buy the inexpensive ones (on sale), you can add your own twist to them and make them taste just as good (or better!) than the more expensive versions. I never use more than ONE jar of premade spaghetti sauce, and I always have large cans of diced and crushed tomatoes on hand to stretch it. A bottle of Wegman’s spaghetti sauce is under $1, and they come in lots of flavors. To that, you can add the canned tomatoes, then spices (garlic, basil, Italian seasoning, etc), leftover vegetables, onions and tomatoes, mushrooms (whatever you have on hand!), and have a delicious version of the (more expensive) “Chunky Garden” sauce. Add enough for a thick, delicious sauce and you have a hearty meatless spaghetti meal! Super economical and good for you too!!

POWDERED GRAVY PACKS

Gravy packs are a great way to add flavor to soups, sauces and stews. When I make beef stew,  (see recipe here), I use brown gravy mix. Just one envelope adds a really nice flavor to the meal. These gravy packs come in lots of flavors, too! I usually keep Beef, Brown, Chicken and Pork on hand so I have them for nights when I run out of flavor/sauce ideas.  I use the chicken packet when I make homemade soups, and instead of water, I add prepared bouillon (vegetable or poultry flavored) as well for lots of flavor! Grab them at the supermarket when they go on sale, and you can save even more! (I never pay more than 79 cents for them). The flavor packet aisle has lots of ideas for quick prep, so make sure you check it everytime you shop. Every now and then you’ll find an instore sale and pick them up 3 (or 4!) for just $1. AMAZING!!

PASTA or RICE PREFLAVORED BOXES (or ENVELOPES)

Preflavored rice or pasta mixes like Rice-a-Roni or Knorr can be a really nice side dish with your protein for dinner, but they can add up fast if you’re feeding a hungry crowd. As with the Sauces, I never use more than ONE of these. For the rice, I prepare an extra cup of white (or brown, if you prefer) rice along with it, add some extra spices, and we always have enough! For example, just a few nights ago I prepared a Rice Sides envelope of Butter and Herb Rice. I make it in my microwave rice cooker, so I followed the instructions for the microwave. The recipe called for 3 cups of water, but I added 1 cup of dry rice, so I added 5 cups instead (1 cup of dry rice cooks in 2 cups water). Then I added some spices I keep in my pantry all the time (see my post here). Parsley, Rosemary (just a little!) and black pepper. It did take longer to cook (instead of 15 Mins I did it for 20 and let it sit to finish) YUM! I easily doubled what I would’ve yielded from the original envelope, and it tasted just as good. You can do this with pasta as well. No matter what flavor it is, just add a little more, and be certain if you are microwaving to add extra liquid for cooking. (If you are not using the microwave, you can cook the extra pasta/rice on the stove and add it in when you finish preparing the enveloped or boxed mix). I even mix up pastas and just use whatever I have on hand!

There are so many shortcuts we can take in the kitchen, this is just the beginning! Feel free to comment below and give MORE ideas! It would be great to hear from all of you.

Happy Cooking!!

Suzy